Nuclear Safety
Accidents happen.
Accidents on the scale of Chernobyl in 1986 could occur in all commercial reactor designs that exist today. No new nuclear reactors have been built in the United States since the meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979. As recently as July 2008, Uranium-bearing liquid leaked from a broken underground pipe at a nuclear plant in southeastern France, a leader in nuclear power generation. It was the second leak discovered at a French site that month. There is no technology that can promise that accidents won’t happen.
The nuclear power plant is proposed to be built 12 miles from Victoria. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requires nuclear power plants to have evacuation and emergency plans that extend up to 50 miles in radius around the plant. If the proposed Exelon nuclear power plant were built, this distance would include all of Victoria.
The Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) design on which Exelon proposes to rely for the new plant has not been approved. In fact, the entire design modification package has not yet been produced for public review. The NRC has also announced that it will undertake its review of the application for the Victoria site before it has approved the generic ESBWR design.
- What is the safety record of the proposed nuclear technology? Can it be secured?
- What are the dangers and safety concerns? If there is a nuclear accident, how will area residents be evacuated – especially those in schools and medical facilities?
- Do we know that the site of this proposed nuclear power plant is geologically sound or does it have unstable faults? Could contaminated water leak into the groundwater?
Sunday, Oct 12, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Beyond,what will we do with the nuclear waste, our local paper ran an article lately that showed a man whose job it was to see if he could hack into business security systems. He not only was able to “hack” into a coal powered electrical plant he also started a fire. Imagine if this had been a nuclear power plant. Also, I don’t hear anyone talking about alternative energy resources. In our recent past I’ve heard arguments that windmills take up too much room.
I would like to see more info on the whole subject. However we generate our electricity their will be construction and\or operational problems to solve but no one will ever convince me that nuclear power (the clean air solution) is not just too high a price to pay. The swap is not equitable!
concerned citizen,
Terry Mcilveen
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 at 11:49 am
The risk are too great! Pro Nuke citizens of Victoria really need to think twice about how thier fair city grows. Are City and County Officials so greedy for increased tax base and jobs that they will convince thier citizens this is the best thing since Dupont.
Prevailing south east winds will blow everything from construction dust for a decade to radiation fallout right into thier fair city. Can they not come up with a better plan of economic development in Victoria? It is thier duty to protect the citizens and the enviroment not expose them to the multitude of dangers Exelon will bring.